This Lady-in-Waiting Quietly Hears Every Bit of Court Gossip. She's a Russian Blue.
Poised, polished, and quietly observing every bit of court gossip, this lady-in-waiting is never far from the action. A sleek Russian Blue with silvery fur and pale green eyes wears a dark velvet headdress bordered with golden embroidery, framing her face like a pointed arch. A small white ruff sits at her throat, and her gown is a sumptuous crimson silk decorated with golden flowers and pomegranates, opening over a black bodice embroidered with gold leaves. In one gray paw she holds a fan of long red and cream feathers set in a gilded handle.
Ladies-in-waiting were noblewomen who attended the queen, helping her dress, keeping her company, carrying messages, and taking part in the life of the court. The position could be a path to influence, and occasionally to much more: both Anne Boleyn and Jane Seymour served as ladies-in-waiting before catching Henry VIII's eye and becoming queen. Feather fans like the one in this portrait became a fashionable accessory among wealthy women, especially later in the Tudor era, and they appear in a number of portraits of the time as a sign of elegance and status.
This Russian Blue certainly has the poise for the job. Calm, watchful, and impeccably dressed, she looks like the kind of courtier who hears everything, says very little, and always knows exactly what is going on behind the palace doors.
